On 16thof April 2011, despite all odds, Nigerians voted you
into power. Owing to the then purported cool disposition and level headedness
you possessed, they (Nigerians) saw you as the needed break away from the past,
where Olusegun Obasanjo ruled supreme to the point of being almost tyrannous. Nigerians sheepishly repeated your mantra, saying that 'We are Goodluck
Jonathan'. They believed all your promises of a better Nigeria. To ensure that
the election went on well as to produce you as President; Nigerians lost their
lives, especially those from the Southern part of the country. They were all
full of joy when you were announced President of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria, and eventually sworn in. Most Nigerians declared 'Yeah! Goodluck is
President, now good-luck has smiled on Nigeria'...Let me ask you my son, do you
think you are really the source of good-luck the average Nigerian has been waiting for?
Let's find out.

Months after being sworn in as President, you announced your intention to remove fuel subsidy which
the average Nigerian has been enjoying even from years of military rule. This
was surprising because one of your campaign points was that, as an acting
President, you had ensured that every petrol station sells a litre of petrol to
Nigerians at N65; you even went ahead to promise that you would maintain the
status quo if not make it better. Now, the story has changed and you are
defending your new stance with suggestions that Nigeria spends trillions of
borrowed money on this subsidy; that the subsidy is being enjoyed, not by the average
Nigerian, but by the oil tycoons in the country. You suggested that removing
the fuel subsidy would free up funds which would come in handy for
developmental projects round the nation.

In response to this, well meaning Nigerians and experts in
the oil industry have taken critical looks into your proposition and opposed it. Professor
Tam David West (a former Minister of Petroleum) even suggests that at N65 per
litre, there is absolutely no subsidy of fuel; this view was supported by Dr.
Izielen Agbon (a professional in the field of Petroleum Engineering) whose
article on the real cost of petroleum shows certain indices which suggest that
Nigerians are being hoodwinked into believing that they are enjoying some sort of
subsidy of fuel at the price of N65. You have been urged to drop this idea for
now if you do not want a heated polity but you seem adamant...well, he who the
gods want to destroy, they first make mad.

Some months ago, you cautioned
government officials across all levels to be careful in all they do in order to
avoid the chances of a revolution; but you have however turned out to be the
number one culprit provoking a revolution. Everyone has questioned the wisdom in:

·Removing fuel subsidy when refineries have not
been put in order. There should be refineries that could, at least, produce the
amount of fuel sufficient for use within the country.

·Removing fuel subsidy when there is total
reliance on petrol by the populace who use generators to produce power for the
personal and commercial use.

·Removing fuel subsidy in a period of huge
unemployment, financial drought and abject poverty. How then would an average
Nigerian, who finds things difficult at the moment, cope when the subsidy is
gone?

That said, I wonder how 1 or 2 Trillion Naira (gotten from the
subsidy removal in a year) would remarkably change Nigeria when hundreds of
trillions of Naira (which were 'properly’ budgeted for and approved) have gone
down the drain and remain unaccounted for due to corruption and the likes. As
usual, the greedy bed fellows you have in the ilk of Governors have already
started jostling for how the funds realised from the fuel subsidy removal will
be shared...Kai! I weep for Nigeria! I weep for my people.

The 2012 budget goes a long way to prove the point that this
fund would be wasted. It is appalling that on one hand, you preach the need for
austerity measures today to ensure that our economy grows tomorrow, hence the
reason the fuel subsidy must go; while on the other hand you:

·Budget 1 billion Naira with which to feed
yourselves in Aso Rock; this boils down to about 2.7 million naira a day on
food (And you are being paid your salaries and allowances in full). Leaders of
countries who are serious about being conservative in spending actually take pay cuts; ask David Cameron of United Kingdom how much he ‘should’ earn and how
much he ‘is’ earning.

·Budget over a billion Naira with which you would
fuel your generators next year (a big shame on you, my son).

·Budget another billion for healthcare to the
Presidency.

These are surely great signs that you are observing the
austerity measures you preach, are they not? While you live lavishly, Nigerians should writhe
in pain and make sacrifices for the country. Probably, when more funds are
freed up after fuel subsidy has been removed; you will spend 10 billion a year
on feeding. My son, you are a glutton, a hypocrite, selfish and extremely
insensitive to have brought up such a budget while still fighting for fuel
subsidy removal which would greatly inconvenience your people; kudos!!

Mr. President, when you took up the job to lead Nigeria, you
were equally made the Chief Security Officer and Commander of the Armed forces
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. You swore to protect the lives and
properties of Nigerians both from external and internal attacks. To make this
work easy for you, you have at your disposal, trillions of Naira budgeted a
year for security alone. Now, have you done well in this regard? NO! And you
know it. You and your security chiefs have become so clueless in the face of
constant threat and 'decimation' of your people by the Boko Haram Sect. 'We are
on top of the situation' has long become a cliché that even you have become
tired and ashamed of using. I was hoping that you would someday say 'We are in
this situation'...maybe after you have narrowly escaped a Boko Haram bomb blast
or a close associate has been hit; but this hasn’t happened yet.

Just as you are doing in the case of fuel subsidy removal;
you have said something else that further shows how insensitive you are to the
plight of Nigerians on this Boko Haram issue; you have suggested that Nigerians
should learn to live with the threat until it fizzles. Wow! That coming from someone
who walked the width and breadth of this country, campaigning and begging to be
allowed to become the Chief Security Officer of the country! Coming from
someone who demands and gets trillions of Naira a year with which to combat
crime and provide security to Nigerians! Coming from someone to whom hapless Nigerians
look up for help and freedom from the clutches of Boko Haram! A very big shame
on you Goodluck Ebelemi Jonathan!

Without mincing words, you have failed seriously as the
President and as Chief Security Officer of this country, Nigeria. You have
talked about the wisdom in avoiding actions that might provoke a revolution but
you are the catalyst of such a revolution; you have preached austerity but you
have indeed been extravagant; I doubt if this is the first of its kind, but you
can see this letter as a vote of no confidence. You should be aware that an
online poll was organized to pick who was the greatest source of disappointment
to Nigerians between you (GEJ); the Police; PHCN and The Super Eagles for the
year 2011; you came tops by a very great margin; and this was done more than a
week before your ridiculous statement urging Nigerians to learn to live with
the menace of Boko Haram. You have nothing more to offer, you are confused and
clueless and the fact is that since you have lost the plot, you can only do one
thing...waste our money; so, please Sir, kindly resign or go back to the
drawing board and salvage your dwindled reputation.

Yes, though Nigerians once said ‘We are Goodluck Jonathan’,
they now say ‘It sucks to be you right now, Goodluck Jonathan’.

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About Me

I am Nnanyelugo Aham-Anyanwu; a budding Researcher and Activist.
I am an Advocate of justice and equity.
I am an Academic, a Writer and a Poet. I am a constructive critic of government policies and actions and would provide advice and suggestions where necessary. I am the Chief Priest and Mouthpiece of the Great 9ja's Oracle... most importantly; I am whatever I want to be by HIS grace.